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Three-Car Mishap Near Harthaven Sends Two to Hospital

Two people were transported to the Martha's Vineyard Hospital with minor injuries Saturday after a late afternoon three-car pileup in the Harthaven section of Oak Bluffs.

According to an eyewitness, the accident unfolded when one car stopped to turn at the entrance to Harthaven and paused for pedestrians crossing on the bike path that parallels the roadway. A car traveling behind the stopped car also stopped and was rear-ended by a taxi. The impact of the collision sent the middle car into the first car that had stopped for a turn.

The driver and passenger in the middle car were injured.

An Oak Bluffs police report issued Monday about the accident contained more details.

The front car was a Toyota Camry with Massachusetts plates, owned and operated by Margaret Serpa. The middle car was a Lexus with Pennsylvania plates, operated by Frank Richardson. The Stagecoach Taxi was a Ford van operated by Califfe Singh.

All three vehicles were damaged. Mrs. Serpa and Mrs. Willoughby sustained minor injuries and were treated at the scene by EMS and transported to the hospital.

No one else was injured, the police report said.

The driver of the taxi van, Califfe Singh, was cited for failure to use caution. The driver told police that he was traveling southbound at a speed of about 25 miles per hour when his work cell phone fell off the dashboard. He reached down to retrieve the phone and took his eyes off the road, the police report said.

Oak Bluffs police officer Jeffrey LaBell responded to the scene and wrote the subsequent report.